Based on knowledge of the skin’s biological processes, CIDETEC Nanomedicine designs encapsulation systems that transport active ingredients through the skin for safe and effective cosmetics.
The solutions provided by the research centre respond to the market’s needs, as they protect the most sensitive active ingredients, are environmentally friendly and improve the efficacy of the ingredients.
The technology uses polypeptides to generate both water-in-oil and oil-in-water nanoemulsions to encapsulate both hydrophilic and hydrophobic cosmetic ingredients.
The resulting nanoemulsions respond to external stimuli such as pH or the presence of enzymes, favouring the release of the ingredients at the action site.
Chemically modified hyaluronic acid has an emulsifying capacity. This results in stable oil-in-water emulsions with a droplet size of below 300 nm in which the cosmetic ingredients are encapsulated.
Hyaluronic acid has a dual function as an environmentally friendly green emulsifier and a functional active compound.
In the cosmetics sector, we develop versatile technologies that improve the efficacy of encapsulated ingredients by increasing bioavailability in the epidermis.
We work at laboratory level and test ingredients in vitro on skin models to select prototypes that can be scaled up to our pilot plant.
Our success stories in this sector endorse us, as we already have products on the market.
In collaboration with Emissary Cosmetics, CIDETEC has developed an encapsulation system that improves the efficacy of active ingredients by up to 50 times.
The technology, which has already been tested on consumers, transports cosmetic ingredients through the stratum corneum and effectively releases them into the epidermis in response to the skin’s natural change in pH or in the presence of metalloproteases in inflammatory processes. Unlike other encapsulation systems, this system allows for sustained release when the skin is not damaged, and faster release in damaged skin models such as dermatitis.
Hyaluronic acid, an active ingredient widely used in cosmetics, is also used as an emulsifier capable of trapping oils and cosmetic ingredients by coating them with a functional layer.
In this way, synergistic effects are sought between hyaluronic acid and encapsulated ingredients to increase their efficacy in both cosmetic and high-end cosmetic products.
Patents
Applications
Polypeptide-based nanoemulsions responsive to skin stimuli